Cripps & Sons Achieve Up to 3x Productivity Increase with Robotic Sanding

Founded in 2009, Cripps & Sons are makers of high-end residential kitchen cabinets. As their business operations scaled up, the founders - Jim Cripps and Sam Cripps, both Red Seal certified cabinet makers, identified the need to automate.

While installing a new spraying line, the Cripps & Sons team zeroed in on sanding as the task that also needed an urgent robotic upgrade. This way, their operators would be free from the messy task of sanding and be able to spend more time on spraying.

Another key consideration for Cripps & Sons was the consistency of finish for the panels, which plays a huge role in the final output of their premium kitchen products.

While they had identified automation and robotic sanding as the need of the hour, one of the biggest challenges for Cripps & Sons was finding the right partner and an automation solution that was intuitive yet powerful.

Cripps & Sons Woodworking partnered with Vention to automate their biggest bottleneck with Vention’s easy-to-use robotic sanding solution, optimized for 3M™ Abrasives.

A key factor in the project’s success was Vention’s clear and ongoing communication throughout the entire journey. Even before signing a contract, Cripps & Sons felt like valued partners rather than just clients.

Vention also helped de-risk the robotic sanding project by testing products sent directly by Cripps & Sons. Finding solutions to real-world challenges on their shop floor through transparent collaboration built confidence in automation across their entire team.

During deployment, Vention’s intuitive and user-friendly interface enabled Cripps & Sons operators to manage the transition with minimal disruption. The on-site presence of experts from 3M further helped fine-tune the sanding process.

Post-deployment, Vention continued collaborating on performance fine-tuning, ensuring Cripps & Sons extracts maximum value from their robotic sander.

Replacing the manual and messy sanding process with robotic automation delivered immediate and measurable results for Cripps & Sons.

Shortly after deploying the Rapid Series Sanding solution, the team saw a dramatic 2-3x increase in productivity for sanding.

They also reported noticeable improvements in finish consistency. As a result, the final coat of spray paint is significantly smoother, a critical factor in maintaining the premium quality Cripps & Sons Woodworking are known for.

Automating has also produced a knock on effect on other processes. For example, freeing up an operator from sanding has allowed them to focus better on other tasks such as spraying. The result is an overall improvement in the quality for the door.

Beyond the operational and quality gains, the introduction of the Rapid Series Sanding solution brought a positive shift in shop floor culture, improving satisfaction within each role. Vention’s intuitive MachineApps interface and easy recipe creation empowered operators to adopt the new technology quickly and confidently.

Most importantly, the success of this deployment has built strong internal momentum for automation, positioning Cripps & Sons for continuous improvement and long-term growth.